Amidst growing rift between the JD-U and RJD following Chief Minister Nitish Kumar‘s support to NDA’s Presidential nominee Ram Nath Kovind, BJP leader Sushil Modi has offered to support Nitish government, if he pulled out of the Mahagathbandhan in Bihar.

“If Nitish Kumar shows the courage to break the alliance with the RJD and Congress, the BJP can think of extending support to him for continuation of the government in the state,” suggested Sushil Modi, BJP leader.

It is notable that the Bihar CM in the past few months has openly supported Prime Minister Narendra Modi over decisions like surgical strikes on Pakistan, demonetisation, GST and now Ram Nath Kovind as the presidential candidate. The divergent views of Nitish from other coalition partners – RJD and Congress – has not gone down too well, especially with RJD chief Lalu Prasad, who termed Nitish’s decision to support Kovind, a “historic blunder”.

BIHAR ASSEMBLY SEATS

The present scenario in the Bihar Assembly is that Mahagathbadhan partners have 178 seats, RJD 80, JDU 71, Congress 27. The BJP-led NDA, on the other hand, has 57 seats. In the event of Nitish pulling out of the government following deteriorating relations with Lalu’s party RJD, he may still continue to remain the CM with NDA’s support. NDA with 57 seats along with JDU’s 71 will reach 128, well past the half way mark of 122 in the house of 243.

Modi’s declaring BJP’s support to the JD-U in the event of any eventuality will definitely keep the RJD and the Congress on tenterhooks.